Tragic Details About Former Trump Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany

It might be safe to say that Kayleigh McEnany's association with Donald Trump is responsible for much of the tragedy that followed her after she left the White House. As Trump's former (and fourth) press secretary during his first term, McEnany sung the divisive politician's praises, but she wasn't always a fan of Trump, and her past criticism of the commander-in-chief didn't exactly do her any favors on the podium. What some might not know about McEnany is that she once outright called Trump a "racist" (via CNN) after the disparaging comments he made about Mexican immigrants ahead of his 2016 campaign. McEnany also accused the politician of being a wannabe Republican. "To me, a racist statement is a racist statement. I don't like what Donald Trump said," she said at the time. "Donald Trump has shown himself to be a showman, I don't think he is a serious candidate."

Fast-forward a year later, and McEnany was rooting for the divisive politician to win the 2016 election. This was quite the turnaround and reminiscent of Vice President JD Vance's complicated relationship with Trump. McEnany blamed her initial criticism of the president on CNN, saying the news outlet brainwashed her but that she eventually came around. Her flip-flopping didn't exactly make her job as Trump's press secretary any easier. Reporters relentlessly questioned McEnany on some occasions. In October 2020, she appeared to lose her patience with journalists during a press briefing because they seemed unable to believe what she was telling them, repeating their questions about Trump's view on white supremacy. No matter how many times McEnany reiterated that the president condemned it, reporters continued to bombard her with similar questions.

When she released her book, "For Such a Time as This," McEnany's authenticity was questioned even more, with The Guardian pointing out that the former press secretary contradicted some of her previous statements in the memoir.

Despite her unwavering support of Donald Trump, the twice-elected president rewarded Kayleigh McEnany's loyalty with one of his dreadful nicknames. McEnany managed to land a job at Fox News after Trump's first term ended, and incurred the then-former president's wrath when she read (according to him) incorrect poll numbers on air in 2023. McEnany was informing viewers that Trump was ahead of Ron DeSantis, who was also making a bid for the White House, by 25 points. A disgruntled Trump took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to inform the public that he was, in fact, ahead of DeSantis by 34 points.

"Kayleigh 'Milktoast' McEnany just gave out the wrong poll numbers on FoxNews. I am 34 points up on DeSanctimonious, not 25 up," Trump wrote (via X). "While 25 is great, it's not 34. She knew the number was corrected upwards by the group that did the poll. The RINOS & Globalists can have her. FoxNews should only use REAL Stars!!!" Trump likely meant to nickname McEnany "Milquetoast," which, according to Merriam Webster, is used to refer to a "timid, meek, or unassertive person." Milktoast refers to, well, a breakfast dish, and it's unlikely that's what Trump tried to dub McEnany.

Being called a weakling by the president you practically worshipped must sting. Former Trump press secretary Stephanie Grisham issued a dire warning after Trump turned on McEnany, pointing out that she shouldn't be surprised by her former boss' hostile treatment. "He. WILL. Turn. On. You. There is only loyalty to HIM – not the country, the constitution, his constituents, or anything/anyone else," Grisham wrote on X, formerly Twitter. McEnany never publicly commented on the jab, but some netizens predicted that she'd continue to be a Trump loyalist despite his obvious disrespect for her.

Like many of Donald Trump's close allies, Kayleigh McEnany has been involved in some shady shenanigans, but one of the things people have been saying about Trump's former press secretary is that she's a notorious liar. Former White House Communications Director Alyssa Farah Griffin told the public as much when she testified about the January 6 insurrection. "Kayleigh is a liar and an opportunist," Griffin alleged during an interview with the January 6 Committee (via HuffPost). "She's a smart woman. She's a Harvard law grad. She knew we lost the election, but she made a calculation that she wanted to have a certain life post-Trump that required staying in his good graces. And that was more important to her than telling the truth to the American public."

McEnany was also in trouble for illegally campaigning for Trump during his 2020 campaign. She was a White House official at the time and therefore not allowed to participate in any sort of campaigning for her boss but proceeded to do so anyway. McEnany's testimony in front of the January 6 Committee was also called into question. "In multiple instances, McEnany's testimony did not seem nearly as forthright as that of her press office staff, who testified about what McEnany said," the committee noted in its findings, adding that McEnany's answers were "evasive" (via The Guardian).

Aside from her many political woes, Kayleigh McEnany has also faced some health battles, which she decided to share publicly in an opinion piece published by Fox News in 2020. McEnany shared her experience getting a double mastectomy in 2018 after she was diagnosed with the BRCA 2 gene nine years prior. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, this is a mutation that significantly increases one's chances of developing breast cancer. Individuals with this gene are 45% to 85% more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer and also have a 10% to 46% increased risk of ovarian cancer. To lower these individuals' very high cancer risk, a preventative mastectomy is often recommended.

For McEnany, this high risk of cancer was a reality, and she decided to undergo a preventative double mastectomy when she was 30. While it was a harrowing experience for both her and her family, McEnany said that the relief of knowing she had significantly reduced her risk of cancer was worth it. "I was completely relieved. The worry of breast cancer was behind me," she wrote. "I had gone from creeping worry to peaceful tranquility."